You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

Welcome to FlyTyingForum.com

FlyTyingForum.com is the largest fly tying community in the world and we hope you take a moment to register for a free account and join this amazingly friendly and helpful group of anglers. FTF has over 12,000 registered members that have made over 300,000 posts and have uploaded over 6,000 patterns to our exclusive fly pattern database!

Well this was an amazing trip! I did not put all the fish I caught in the video, because the video would have been way too long. I caught probably 30+ fish, and almost all of them on my 4wt Redington Butterstick. A few fish on the dry fly, and a few on nymphs. Some hard fighters as well, especially on my 4wt. I had quite a few of them run line hard, and most of them were very acrobatic and jumped quite a few times. Just one of the most productive times Ive had in a long time.

Molas lake is a high mountain lake run by the town of Silverton Colorado and is located in between Silverton and Durango. From what I gathered its a Fishery that Silverton uses to hold hatched fish until they grow bigger, then use the lake to stock many of the creeks, streams and rivers in the surrounding area. So its good fishing, and there are a few really good sized fish in there.

Make sure and stop in the Molas Lake Campground Park Office, to get the current regulations and fish report. Also there is a small fee for camping, and I paid it to fish as well.

At 2:30 ... you swung the rod and missed those first two hits. On the third hit, you strip set and got the fish on.

5:23 ... swing and a miss.

5:36 ... strip and a set.

8:29 ... swing and a set.

Etc.

I didn't try to count, since the rod and line hands aren't always clear ... but it looked like strip sets landed you more fish than rod sets. Those flimsy fiberglass rods just don't move enough line ... bending rather than transferring solid movement to the hook.

At 2:30 ... you swung the rod and missed those first two hits. On the third hit, you strip set and got the fish on.
5:23 ... swing and a miss.
5:36 ... strip and a set.
8:29 ... swing and a set.
Etc.

I didn't try to count, since the rod and line hands aren't always clear ... but it looked like strip sets landed you more fish than rod sets. Those flimsy fiberglass rods just don't move enough line ... bending rather than transferring solid movement to the hook.

Larger hooks vs smaller hooks. Dry fly fishing, strip sets will pull the fly out of the fishes mouth. Still loose fish though on rod sets because its such a small fly. Then most of the streamer fish were strip then set, same with the larger nymphs. I lost less fish on those because they were sub surface flies that had larger hooks... its just that dry flies tend to move out of the way when a fish strikes at it, so its not always perfectly positioned in the fishes mouth when you go to set. Again like discussed before, Im all about strip setting when using streamers, but Ive lost more Fish strip setting on dry flies than I care to admit... hahahahaha. Cant strip set a small dry fly. Ive missed every single fish Ive ever striped set on a dry fly with the exception of a small handful. Large bass poppers though are a different story.

Sorry I should have watched before commenting... so I need to add to this. At 2:30 I missed 2, because the fish never turned away, they took the fly and came straight at me, and I didnt strip the 3rd hook set, I picked up a little line but set with the rod. Same on the 5:36 hook set, picked up line.

Again not trying to argue. And I agree with you on all other types of fishing, always strip set. However you just cant do it with trout dry flies. You have to watch the fishes head, wait for them to turn their head away from you then set. Otherwise the light fly and small hook will just get yanked out of their mouths no matter what type of hookset you make.

Hah!!! That place is like going fishing at the fish hatchery only in a natural environment. I remember when the last tank in line at the local hatchery gate broke and it dumped 1-1/2 tanks worth of trout into the lower stream that leads to brackish water ( less than a mile to salt water). Trout fishing that stream was phenomenal, except for the fact it was Dec. But any brown soft hackle would do for three months or so, or at least that's all I bothered to use. Although there are midges in there even then (Dec), when the sun is on the water you see midges in the air just over the water and fish were rising on them. In fact the hatchery has midges, it's all the same water way. The tanks are just cement walls and gates with chicken wire over the top, natural bottom I think or at least silt over cement bottom. It's interrupted stream system is all, like filling locks lol. So midges still hatch all through the acreage . The fish get stocked in local ponds already accustomed to feeding on midges and not to mention brown pellets.

Molas Lake is pretty close to my stomping grounds in the Gunnison Country. It's been on my radar screen for years but your video convinced me that I need to head to Molas in 2019. Thanks for posting. Doug

Doug Dillingham

Author of "Fly Fishing the Gunnison Country"

​The Fly Fisher's Guide to the Rivers, Creeks, and High Mountain Lakes of the Gunnison Basin